Bangkok and thereafter…
The last time I’d been in Bangkok, it was my first night on the road. I was overwhelmed with the city, and left very early the next morning.
My Christmas reunion with the place was different. I was no longer overwhelmed by Bangkok, but felt that the travelers center, Khoa San Road, is a superfluous novelty that I don’t need. It was a different distaste this time, but a distaste nonetheless.
Khoa San Road makes me feel like the world has gone to hell. The closest thing I can compare it to in the states is Las Vegas, but with a different sense of lawlessness that you’ll only find in Bangkok. It is a generic and false representation of the wonderful country that houses it. It makes me want to quit, quit what I don’t know, but that street has an odd effect on me.
I left early this morning, to Kanchanaburi. I have a lovely $5 room only 80 meters from the River Kwai. It is a smaller town, 68000, and retains a relaxed feel that only a large river can bring. There is lots to see and do around here, and I may just spend my remaining three nights here, only to saunter back to Bangkok the afternoon before my flight.
Tags: Thailand, Laos, Vietnam 2006
bumwaiter
John, I don’t know about you but we are exhausted. What a terrific account of a true adventure. Happy to know you are safe and sound!